Teenage boy dies after girlfriend gives him a hickey

Who knew a love bite could have such deadly consequences?
- bythat's life!

29 Aug
2016

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When Julio Macias Gonzalez, 17, began convulsing at the dinner table his family immediately called an ambulance. When they arrived paramedics got to work, but tragically the teenager couldn’t be saved.

When trying to figure out the cause of the sudden attack that took the young man’s life, one bizarre but compelling conclusion was suggested.

Julio was killed by a hickey.

Earlier in the evening, Julio had spent some time with his girlfriend who had taken the opportunity to give the 17-year-old a love bite. It is thought that sucking on Julio’s neck had caused a blood clot to form, which over the next few hours slowly travelled to his brain, triggering a stroke.

The girlfriend has not been able to be reached since the incident.

Receiving a love bite causes blood vessels under the skin to burst, which causes the signature bruising that can take several weeks to subside. Where most hickeys don’t lead to blood clots and strokes, they can cause uncomfortable swelling which can be helped by applying an ice-pack.